Forrest J Ackerman dead at 92

Forrest J Ackerman, who influenced a generation of young horror movie fans with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and spent a lifetime amassing what has been called the world’s largest personal collection of science fiction and fantasy memorabilia, has died. He was 92.

Ackerman, a writer, editor and literary agent who has been credited with coining the term "sci-fi" in the 1950s, died Thursday of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, Kevin Burns, head of Prometheus Entertainment and a trustee of Ackerman’s estate, told the Associated Press.

As editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Ackerman wrote most of the articles in the photo-laden magazine launched in 1958 as a forum for past and present horror films.

"It was the first movie monster magazine," Tony Timpone, editor of Fangoria, a horror movie magazine founded in 1979, told The Times in 2002.

Timpone, who began reading Famous Monsters as a young boy in the early ’70s, remembers it as "a black-and-white magazine with cheap paper but great painted [color] covers. It really turned people on to the magic of horror movies."

Primarily targeted to late pre-adolescents and young teenagers, Famous Monsters of Filmland featured synopses of horror films, interviews with actors such as BorisKarloff, BelaLugosi and Vincent Price, and articles on makeup and special effects.

Famous Monsters reflected Ackerman’s penchant for puns, with features such as "The Printed Weird" and "Fang Mail." Ackerman referred to himself as Dr. Acula.

"He put a lot of his personality into the magazine," said Timpone, who later became friends with Ackerman. "It was a pretty juvenile approach to genre journalism, but as kids, that’s all we had."

Even here amid his diminished collection, it becomes apparent that the greatest part of Ackerman’s collection is the man himself. He is full of tales of the birth of horror in Hollywood. He saw movies that have been lost forever. He attended Bela Lugosi’s funeral. He attended not just the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939, but nearly every convention since. As a teenager, he corresponded with the president of Universal Studios, Carl Laemmle, 62 times, until Laemmle wrote on his president’s stationery, "Give this kid anything he wants." Fifteen-year-old Forrie Ackerman chose the sound discs to some of the greats of early cinema like "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Frankenstein."

(More from the 2002 Los Angeles Times feature on the late Forrest J Ackerman…)

Born and raised in Hollywood, Forrie is the ultimate fan. He is still an eager 12-year-old boy trapped in a gangly, 86-year-old man’s body. He delights in bad puns and very silly jokes. He points to a casket covered in embroidered pillows in the front of his living room. "That’s my coffin table," he says with a wink. "Room for one more … "

He is well-spoken and a master storyteller. He has an encyclopedic mind that holds data like a computer. He can rattle off obscure movie titles, forgotten movie stars, esoteric movie lore. His stories are what make his objects, much of which look like junk in an adolescent’s bedroom, come alive.

There is Bela Lugosi’s cape in the corner, from the 1932 stage performance of "Dracula" in San Francisco. And there, over the dining room doorway, are the seven great faces of horror cinema in life-size 3-D molds: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Tor Johnson, Glenn Strange, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre.

Where others display china, Forrie displays models of dinosaurs, monster heads and a skull holding a serving bowl. Where others might hang paintings, Ackerman hangs a wall-size comic strip of Vampirella, which he created in 1958.

He walks back toward the bedroom with a mischievous look.

"You are over 21," he flirts, arching an eyebrow. "You can come into my ‘badroom.’"

That whole article is well worth reading, and again, you can find it right here. I’ll be posting more on Ackerman as the news ripples out.

Comments

41 Responses to Forrest J Ackerman dead at 92

You'll be missed, Forrie. Your Ackermansion was truly wonderful, and Famous Monsters provided untold hours of fascination! There would be no "Sci-Fi" without you, and the world will not be the same without you in it.

Let's all say a fond farewell to the Ackermonster. He was the ultimately cool nerd and I loved reading Famous Monsters of Filmland when I was a kid. He gave a fun and warm hearted take to horror movies for all the fans who for some crazy reason just loved that genre.

I must say that I am truly saddened by the passing of Forrest Ackerman. He was an inspiration to everyone who was a fan of science fiction, horror, and fantasy. His impact on multiple generations of fans cannot be measured. He was truly one of the greats.

I met Forry Ackerman when he visited Australia for the 1975 World Science Fiction Convention. One of my abiding memories was the day he invited me to join him for lunch; as we left, the guard on the door said "Mr Ackerman, there are two boys who have been waiting a couple of hours to meet you." Two schoolboys who were writing an article for their school magazine wanted to meet Forry. He took them into lunch with us, posed for photographs and dazzled them with wonderful stories about Hollywood and the great actors. I've never forgotten it — you can be sure that those two youngsters haven't either. It tells you a lot about the man behind "the Ackermonster".

Forrie was more than a walking, talking encyclopedia of horror media. He was friendly and trusting, inviting the public into his home to view his valuable and vast collection of memorabilia. He was a comedic genius. Years ago, as a publicist representing director/make-up effects artist John Buechler, I asked Forrie to help me pull a surprise on John at a Fangoria convention. John, quietly enjoying his 10th anniversary in the industry at the time, prepared an exposee of an upcoming film. As he stepped to the podium, we cut him off for a "This Is Your Life" tribute utilizing stars of his many films. When Forrie originally agreed to moderate the event, I figured he would give an adequate performance given his wit and knowledge. Forrie brought it to levels of fun and comedy that far exceeded my grandest wishes. Ironically, Forrie congratulated me for a job well-done and half-jokingly asked if I would pull the same prank on his 100th birthday. I certainly will never get the opportunity, but then, I could never have anyone like Forrie to run the show. Once again, fangs so much Forrie! While you're hanging around Boris, Lon, Vincent, and Bela in that great castle in the sky, just be sure your drink really is tomato juice before you sink your teeth in. ;)

I met Uncle Forrey in Florence, Alabama and he was such a great person. I have a picture of me with him under Dracula's cape. He inspired so many people and taught us never to forget the past. You will be dearly missed Uncle Forrey.

I had the good fortune to tour the Ackermansion many times growing up. There is no way to decribe what a thrill it was to wander through that house as a child and discover the strange and wonderous objects stuffed in every corner & room. He was a great and kind man and will be missed. It is a shame that someone like King or Speilberg or LA County didn't take over the house and turn it into a museum.
Godspeed, Forrie

No other person (other than my parents) has influenced who I am more than Forrest J Ackerman. I think it is safe to say that this is a common feeling to fans of the Sci-Fi, Horror, or Fantasy genre. He was a remarkably kind and generous person who never turned away a fan. He lived life to it's fullest and his joy spilled over to the life of anyone who ever had the pleasure to meet him or read one of his publications. I will miss him greatly as will countless others. He was everyone's favorite uncle.

A sad day indeed, he will be missed. Those were great days, being young and carefree, my biggest concern was when was the next issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland going to appear at my local candy newspaper store, and the excitement of spotting the new issue in the rack among all the rest of the magazines. Well, I lost my father this past October and now this, it has not been a good year.
Rest easy FJA.

Forrest J Ackerman, Forrey, 4E, Forrest, Dr. Acula, a man with many names, he influenced countless people in oh so many ways, and no matter who (or what) you were, he always was more than generous with his time, if you asked him for it.
He may have been 92 in people years, but if you spent any amount of time with him, you probably would have guessed him to be around 15 years old.
He welcomed both friends and strangers into his Ackermansion and heart without discrimination, and he always made each individual feel unique and special.
There is simply no enough web space on the Internet to describe what a truly outstanding individual Forrest J Ackerman is and was.
Thank you for everything.
We love you Forrest, and we will deeply miss you always.

My heart aches…I met Forrest in San Diego Comic Con and fell in love with his kind and loving heart. I remember after he signed my book I told him that I loved him and moved over to let my husband get his book signed… and out of the blue Forrest stood up and called me around the table and said "It has been my experience that when the leaidng lady tells the leading man she loves him, he gets a kiss" and the thrill of my life… I got to give Mr. Ackerman a kiss. Ever since that meeting, I saw him every year after that and always wore my cowboy hat so he would recognize me. This year was the last time I got to kiss his sweet, loving face and I will never forget his kindness to me. I don't think I will ever get over loosing such a loving and wonderful man. God Bless You Forrest. I will see you again some day- and I know your shining down on me from Heaven and that makes me feel so loved.
Laura

Forry was a great friend of our family. He told me the last time we saw him that he was almost run over by Katharine Hepburn in her big car during the first years of her career. He was a fountain of Hollywood history and shared generously with many, many people.
We'll miss you!
Gloria and Bob McMillan

I knew "Uncle Forry" quite well during the final 47 years of his life. He was a unique, irreplaceable individual. His lifetime devotion to science fiction and fantasy is only one of the many reasons that he will be missed forever.

So, Forrest J Ackerman is gone. It finally happened. My first contact with him was through Famous Monsters Of Filmland, only sold in one small tobacco-store in Stockholm. That was 1970. Through the years, we talked over the phone, he visited Sweden and I was fortunate to be his personal guide and take him to different movie companies here that gave him a lot of rare film pictures and posters. He was kind, gentle, told many a good tale and seemed comfortable away from the crowds. He enjoyed our swedish mint fudge, and had lots and lots of it! I was later
published in FM, and that added to my inspiration. Yes, Forry was my friend.
So, I will rember him like that. Not when I spoke to him and he was in the hospital, so weak, afraid to be forgotten, actually; "Oh, my dear, dear friend!" he said. Poor man! This time, he had much support from many people during his illness, and I am sured he died filled with love.
I hope he finds the Heaven he didn't believe in. I think there are stories left for him to tell, and I
don't want to miss them. With all respect, and a hello to Laura, whose comment warms my heart. Hans G Brüggener.

It was with great sadness that I read the Dec. 6th obituary regarding 'Mr. SciFi', Forrest J Ackerman, the author, actor, literary agent and magazine publisher who became affectionately known as 'Uncle Forry' to an entire generation of such horror movie and science-fiction buffs in the late 50s & early 60s as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and yours truly. The memory of hearing Forry's voice over the phone Easter morning 1962 informing me I had won 1st prize in his "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine's national horror makeup contest resonates to this day with the same mixed feelings of joy and disbelief that registered in my 19 year-old ears and mind almost a half-century ago. My original Werewolf creation had topped all the other entrants, including Rick Baker whose makeup artistry would win 3 Academy Awards many years later for his film work including "The GRINCH". I'll never forget the kindness that Forry lavished upon me during two thrilling weeks in Hollywood at his magazines' expense when he gave me total freedom and access to the monstrous collection of sci-fi and fantasy memorabilia amassed in his sprawling, multi-room 'Ackermansion' as well as his personal tour of Tinsletown's nostalgic hot spots. Needless to say, the greatest thrill of all was applying my contest-winning makeup for my role as the teenage werewolf in American International Pictures' 1964 production, "BIKINI BEACH" starring then popular teenage idols, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. When director William Asher requested that I growl during my brief sequence, my ever-protective agent, 'Uncle' Forry quickly reminded him that said role had now become a 'speaking part' and, as such, I was entitled to a cast credit as well as the screen actors guild pay standard of an additional 250 bucks. When Asher consented, Forry, like the big kid he was, expressed his delight by turning to face me with a beaming smile and an exaggerated wink. That's a freeze frame in my mind's eye that will always appear whenever I recall this wonderful guy who taught me the value of growing up without ever having to grow old.

i discovered famous monsters in march of 1970,i never met forry personally.i recieved a beautifull singed photograph of forry from one of his dear friends(ronald borst) of hollywood movie posters.ron had asked forry one day at lunch if he would sign a photo for me,i will always treausure the photo.god bless you forry as you inspired thousands of people through out your life,you will be sadly missed ,your magazine inspired my love for horror & sci-fi.since i first heard the news of your passing i have not been the same person,i am in deep shock!! r.i.p. forry.

Forry and I had a personal relationship that never left the pages of FAMOUS MONSTERS Magazine. From that first copy of FM #29 that I picked up at the Flea Market in 1973…He was Always there…He was the Star in the Spotlight above all the Infamous creatures that adorned his pages. He spoke to the reader as if we were sitting in the same room. As a kid with an obsession for Monsters and Models, Forry was the Guide who took us all down those Black & White, dark, spiral corridors of every Castel and Dungeon. Forry was a Genius. He removed the Scary and replaced it with humor…For kids, that was the trick. He introduced us to the Horror with puns and remarks that made us all giggle. Forry single handedly made the Monsters KID FRIENDLY and by that, created an EMPIRE and a LEGACY that No Fan will Ever Forget. I wish I could have THANKED him in person for ALL the Memories…God Rest Your Immortal Soul Forry~THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!

Forry and his Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine brought me years of happiness growing up in a small town in Tennessee. I was referred to by my (adolescent) peers as "the monster man" because I loved monsters so much. I'm eternally grateful for Forry and his contribution to the world of horror and scifi. I still have my FM magazine collection in individual plastic bags stored in my (grown up now) toy room. Thank you Forry! You will be missed!

I was lucky. I got to know Forry way back in the 60's at the original Ackermansion at 915 S. Sherbourne, here in LA and like many others, followed him up to his later Glendower address. So many memories of after school afternoons helping sort things, or file or move stuff around for 4E, or sometimes just immerse myself in the Alexandria Library of Sci-Fi. Friend , mentor, human being of the highest caliber, that is how he will be remembered .

I only knew 4E slightly. We were in the same tour group when I went to the '85 Worldcon in Australia, where I got to know him and his lovely wife Wendayne. They were proof that the longer one was a science fiction fan the nicer you got. He always seemed to me like Walt Disney on serious psychedelics. The LA Times obit said that he had no surviving family. They were wrong. He had an immense family called fandom. The earth is a sadder, more mundane place without him.

I will always remember my love for the Universal Monsters and longing to have somrthing more tangable than just waiting to watch the Universal Horrors on Nightmare Theater Friday nites that is until one day I walked into our towns only drug store to find on the shelf that BRIGHT GLEAMING issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland just forcing me to go over and pick it up. There was a Wolf Man on the cover and I was actually holding something in my hands that you could always turn to when there wasn't a monster movie playing on TV…and thanks to Forrest Ackerman he made that happen! From there after I was a devoted collector, although I had to hide my FM's from my parents but NOTHING was going to stop me from getting my fill of Forry's Famous Monster! Long Live Uncle Forry!

It was when I was 8 years old and longed to have something more than the Friday Nite horror show called Nightmare Theater which showed my favorite Universal Monster Movies I wanted something I could touch, hold or call my own from those movies then one GREAT DAY I walked into our local Drugstores magazine stand and there in HUGE Letters read MONSTERS, I could hardly breath…then I anxiously reached up and pulled that issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland from the shelf and I was in heaven a thing that was FULL of my favorite MONSTER in my hand! From then on I was hooked! Thank you Forry for giving me something I still to this day carry with me, the love of the adventure. God Bless you Forrest J Ackerman!

So long, Uncle Forry. I'll always treasure the memory of meeting you and Wendayne in Kansas City, when we were all guests (along with Richard Corben and Joe Kubert) of a comic con there — and later visiting the Ackermansion and getting the neverending tour. Your contributions to fandom and pop culture and influence on a generation of fans and artists will never be equaled. Here's hoping some greater power is arranging a viewing of the complete "Metropolis" for you right now — with a commentary track by Fritz Lang, in person — and a guest appearance by the real robot Maria….
When my father passed away some years back, I started wearing his ring in remembrance. I recently purchased one of the QMX repros of your Lugosi (and Carradine) Dracula ring — and now I wear that as well — remembering seeing the original on your hand.
Your loving "nephew,"
"Scary" Terry

Forry we miss you. Thanks for the monsters and Vampirilla. I loved your magazines, and I lament that I never visited the Akermansion. You made your mark here on earth and I thank you for your inspiration.
Cheers

My wife and I were priviledged to visit Forry in 2000. My wife had broken her leg, but we were not going to let that stand in the way of our vacation from Wisconsin. My cousin Ed lived in Reseda, and helped us get to see the Ackermansion, wheelchair and all, in the middle of the week! I remember he had a number of female assistants that day, and recall thinking he was like Vincent Price in DR. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs!
I never got around to writing that special thank you to him, so 4SJ, THANKS so very much for opening your home to us and giving us such precious memories.
Your loving fans and friends, John and Pat Morris

Where do i begin ? This man meant / means more to me than any man alive. Uncle Forry made me everything i ever became,everything i ever wanted to become,and the shock waves of this great man’s tragic death will be felt a long, long time.
I am a huge collector of memorabilia myself,having a very large collection. Well, let me tell you, i wouldnt HAVE this great collection without this man’s terrific inspiration ! ,Many was the kid back in the 1950s or 1960s ,whose life was changed forever by the wonderful classic magazine he authored,Co-created,and without his ‘still’ collection, would not have come to pass…i am talking about the greatest magazine of all time, the seminal ‘Famous Monsters of Filmland ! ‘ I bought my first issue (#28 ) of the magazine on a wonderful,unforgettable beautiful spring day back in March,1964 ! I cannot fully describe how much i loved this magazine, i read that mag more than 100 times, until it was tattered from cover to back cover. Such was the magic of the brainchild Mr. Ackerman created ! Magic ! A sense of wonder ! Was there ‘ever’ a better example of ‘sense of wonder ?’ that magazine was ‘ EVERYTHING’ for a young male child who was even the least bit interested in Horror and Sci-fi growing up in the wild decade of the 1960s !
Mr. Ackerman influenced scores of writers and people in film entertainment. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas,John Landis, Jim Danforth,Rick Baker,Ron Cobb,Ray Harryhausen,Ray Bradbury are some of his more famous, illustrious FM alumni !
Forry, (as he loved to be called ) and I met, at Towson ,Maryland, finally in 1988,and there i was to meet the ‘Guru’ , the spiritual ‘Godfather’ of us all ! I my Mom and i were at that show, and we met Forry’s wonderful wife Wendayne, too ! My mother met Forry first, and i thought this was fitting to be the first to meet the man i had for so many years told her about ! My mother found him to be one of the most charming, most erudite men she had ever met, and said that he had some kind of ‘Aura’ ! indeed, that is a good word for it, Aura ! many many people felt this when talking to the Godfather of horror !
W e met, once again, i believe in 1995 at Sotheby’s auction in NYC ! I had lunch with Forry and his good friend,Tom Horvitz ….the ‘ thrill of a lifetime ! ‘ We talked during lunch ofhe ‘true’ greats, Karloff, Lugosi, Lon Chaney Sr. and Jr., Vincent Price, Fritz Lang and Christopher Lee ! it was a most memorable lunch, i can tell you !
Forry, i cant believe you are gone. i just cant believe it. i guess it was inevitable, it seemed like you could/would be never taken away from us ! but, the big man upstairs needed the world’s greatest collector / nurturist / librarian / ‘keeper of the flame’,and the ‘weaver of wonder’ of our youth, badly, and so, you were taken. My friend . No-one is ever going to be able to fill your shoes,or even come close to doing same…..now, you have joined with the legends of horror that have gone before you,and, sadly, your kind will never be seen again. Rest Easy, my friend, i will forever miss you !

My condolemces go out for Forrest J. Ackermann. I remember reading FM of Filmland many times when I was younger, it was ALWAYS my FAVORITE magazine. I also remember Forrest J's cameo in Dracula VS. Frankenstein. Your witt and humour will be sorely missed!

Sadly, I lost touch with Uncle Forry after moving out of my parents home and going off to college. He remained close to the folks and had a special fondness for my sister Cheri, who labored with cerebral palsy until she passed away in 1995. A dutiful “Uncle” he was present at my college graduation, law school graduation, wedding, and the funeral services for Cheri. My Mother spent decades penning a draft biography on Uncle Forry. She often lamented that she would never attempt to write a biography on a living person again. She passed away before finishing Forry’s biography. He kept in touch with Dad, until Dad passed away in 2006.
My memories of Uncle Forry are mostly from childhood. When he came to the house, he was clearly the largest and oldest child there, but he was quick to pick us up and bounce us around. He was everything a child would want an uncle to be. Aunt Wendy was much too urbane to get on the floor and play with us, but Uncle Forry had no such reservations. His humor and wit were unstoppable (except when discussing his fall-out with Warren). As kids, my sisters and I always appreciated visits from Uncle Forry for the simple reason that Mom would stock up on Vanilla ice cream and Hydrox cookies. Like clockwork, any evening he would be with us, we’d eventually hear him sing out, “Do I hear Hydrox and a bowl of ice cream calling my name?” He loved his ice cream and cookies.
The original Ackermansion was phenomenal…beyond the ability of words to describe. The collections of art, books, movie memoralbilia, and other paraphernalia were epic. He even had a chair that Abraham Lincoln had sat in. It was truly any boy’s dream to be able to freely wander the rooms and halls and to be able to sleep over on many occasions. If I had only appreciated the significance then…
Uncle Forry arranged for me to be mentioned in 2 biographies on Boris Karloff, one that Forry wrote himself and one written by Underwood. He then delighted in presenting me with autographed copies of each book. He was clearly more impressed than I was at the time.
I was deeply saddened to learn that Uncle Forry had passed. He was an advocate for a genre that sadly seems to be more and more displaced by computer generated graphics and gratuitous gore. Shame on the City of L.A. for not taking the collection of memorabilia that Forry was offering to them at no cost. A museum housing his collection would have been a fitting tribute and a lasting legacy to an irreplaceable treasure.
Rest in peace Uncle Forry and give Mom, Dad and Cheri a big hug from me.

RIP, Uncle Forry — those of us who grew up (though that point is debatable) with you and Famous Monsters of Filmland owe you a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid.
Back when horror & sci-fi were not even considered legitimate genres for collecting, you were saving our history for us, and at your own expense saved treasured memories that might have been lost to generations.
I believed you when you said this stuff was important — I had TWO subscriptions to FMOF, and sitting on my shelf were the copies I very carefully read … and the unopened issues, right from number one, stacked flat & still in their brown paper mailing wrapper. My mother laughed — until 20 years later when she heard what a mint #1 sold for at auction!
By that time I had heard, also, and asked her to send me those boxes of monster magazines I had carefully boxed up when I went in the Army in 1964. Eventually she told me she had let my nieces & nephews play with them for years and years. It took me two solid evenings to sort the dismembered FMOF and get, well, sort of a reading copy of all the early issues — rough shape, incomplete, but still a treasure to me, if not to an auction house.
I always wished I could have met you, Forry, and drooled over your wonderful collection. The Army never stationed me close to your lair, but you instilled in me a love for horror & sci-fi that has lasted for over half a century, and has enriched my life.
Thanks, Forry — but to send you off with your favorite pun: Fangs a lot !

I miss you. I will never forget the first time I saw you in person, at the Atlanta Fantasy Fair–now Atlanta Dragon Convention. You spoke with me at length about so many things that remain dear to my heart.
I love you Uncle Forry.
"The Wonder Girl"

Thank you so much for the kind comment. I know this is a late reply but as a friend of Uncle Forry, I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful comments you don't know how much it meant to him to have so many people adore him. I knew him for over 15 years and as the same as you many things remain dear to my heart. I hope we can meet or chat online one day. My email is dewberrysquish@aol.com
~Martha~